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Review

1999
Volkswagen
Golf Review

A fusion of fun and comfort.

Reviewed by Automotive on
8/2/1999

Overview

The 1999 Volkswagen Golf is a small family car with a history that dates back to 1974. The front-drive Golf has been the first successful replacement for the air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. Over its years of production, the car has become the German automaker’s bestselling model and the third bestselling model in the world.

The current model of the Golf falls in the fourth generation and also carries the name Golf Mk4. It remains the bestselling car in Europe and marks an attempt by Volkswagen to make the Golf more upmarket.

What's New

The 1999 Volkswagen Golf comes in two generations: the third and fourth generation. The third generation of the Golf has been in production since 1993, and it carries over for this year.

The Golf K2 model leaves the lineup for this model year, and the Wolfsburg model gets some new standard features, including power windows with one-touch operation, cruise control, and heated power mirrors.

The 1999 Volkswagen Golf shows a complete redesign for this model year. The base straight-four engine improves along with the other engines, and the exterior also gets some revisions.

Exterior

The 1999 Volkswagen Golf is an important car for the company and class. It represents a step by Volkswagen to target a richer audience, so the quality of the Golf stays on par with the Audi A3 of the previous year. While the car still carries some styling cues that distinguish it as a Golf.

The antenna of the 1999 Volkswagen Golf moves to the rear end of the roof, which gives the car a distinct look. This change in position, along with the short length of the antenna and its leeward slant, reduces the drag coefficient of the car.

Interior

The quality of the interior of the 1999 Volkswagen Golf seems evident from the outset. The workmanship and quality of materials used are superb. The front seats offer plenty of legroom and headroom, but both remain modest at best for the rear seats. The legroom for the rear reduces even further with the front seats pushed back. Nevertheless, the Golf feels a little more spacious than its sedan counterpart, the Jetta.

The gauges and controls for the 1999 Volkswagen Golf sit neatly arranged in a simple and intuitive layout. The addition of backlights for many of these controls and gauges make them even easier to operate for the driver. The problems lie in the controls for the audio system and the climate control, which sit too low for comfort. Moreover, entry and exit for the car proves a little difficult because of the narrow doors.

All models of the 1999 Volkswagen Golf accommodate only four people at best. However, the seats feel supportive and comfortable. The bucket seats up front offer height adjustment and supportive enough to keep the occupant comfortable during long drives.

Performance & Handling

The 1999 Volkswagen Golf offers a refined but sporty performance like the Jetta. Irrespective of the engine used, the Golf is really fun to drive and offers a lively performance. The car has a firm suspension, but the ride quality remains comfortable nevertheless. It corners very nicely without losing its balance, and body lean seems minimal.

The two-liter engine works best with the manual transmission, delivering a lively performance as compared to the automatic transmission that allows the engine to provide just adequate acceleration.